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Cincinnati police make changes to Taser use policy

Cincinnati police officers have new guidelines for use of their Taser stun guns.

In a memo sent to Cincinnati City Council and Mayor Mark Mallory on Monday, City Manager Milton Dohoney said that when deciding to use a stun gun, officers must determine if a person is actively resisting arrest or trying to flee from officers.

The memo also states that "Some reports suggest that Taser barbs deployed in the chest region, along with a number of other factors, could lead to sudden cardiac arrest and/or death."

"When deploying a cartridge from the TASER X26, frontal shots are prohibited except in situations of self defense or defense of another. The TASER X26 should never be aimed at an individual’s head, neck, eyes, throat, chest/breast, or genitals. The preferred target area is the back of the individual actively resisting arrest (emphasis theirs)," the memo stated.

The family of Everette Howard is suing a University of Cincinnati police officer for Howard's death.

Howard was shocked with a stun gun during a confrontation and later died, though the Hamilton County Coroner's Office was unable to to say what caused Howard's death.

The memo also notes that, "In some instances, subjects have been injured as the result of a secondary injury caused by the use of the Taser. For instance, a tased suspect may suddenly fall and become injured due to other environmental hazards."

"To reduce the frequency of these instances, the operational section of the policyreminds officers to consider environmental conditions prior to deployment of theTaser."

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